


Once Upon a Time: The Vanishing Curse

by Omorocca



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-20
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-08 23:50:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/767523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omorocca/pseuds/Omorocca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not a part of my serie of fics. This one-shot is an idea that popped through my mind during the hiatus. It's focused on the ''first family'' and on how much Regina dissappointed on recent episodes. I tried to make her a little more three-dimentional. I hope you enjoy.<br/>For a big Rumbeller like me (I mean, even my original characters are Rumbellers) it was hard not to write about them. But I still don't know how to handle Lacey, so I chose to wait. Also, I think Rumple's relationship with his son is conflicted enough.</p><p>Here it is!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once Upon a Time: The Vanishing Curse

 

Fanfiction

Characters © OUAT writers and producers

 

“The Vanishing Curse”

 

Storybrooke, Maine

 

Henry had not seen it coming and tried to step away from the vortex. He screamed, but the wave of this tornado was so loud, he could barely hear his own shout. A second later, he felt something was pulling him away. Something, or rather, someone.

 

“Hold on!”

 

He looked up. His birth father had stepped into the storm and was holding his hand.

 

Emma ran to the well and stared at the scene, powerless, struck with horror.

 

“HENRY!”

 

She tried to run to him, but the wave of the vortex pushed her away. She had just enough time to see Mr Gold arrive at the scene before she fell on the ground.

 

“Bae?”

 

Baelfire couldn’t hear, in the middle of that storm, and kept trying to save Henry from falling down the well. Emma tried again to reach them, seeing Gold do the same with a little more success.

 

Magic! He’s fighting it with magic!

 

The Sheriff tried to do the same, but it was hard to focus her thoughts in these circumstances. She screamed as the vortex was reaching its peak. Soon, it would vanish, along with her son and the boy’s father.

 

“Hold on!” Baelfire screamed again, not letting go of Henry. Now the roles were reversed and he was at the same position his own father was centuries ago. Behind him, Rumpelstiltskin could think of only two words, two words filled with emotion, two words that fuelled his magic and made it stronger.

 

_Not again._

 

Henry felt sucked in by the vortex and Baelfire felt the same thing happen to him. Something made him pause. A hand had grabbed him.

 

“Papa?”

 

Emma saw Gold grab his son’s arm… and then she saw the vortex disappear.

 

“Henry?”

 

She ran to the well and looked down.

 

“Henry!... Neal?... anyone?”

 

Alone by the empty well, she broke in tears, repeating her son’s name.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Earlier that morning_

 

Snow and Charming were having breakfast when Henry came down.

 

“Morning, guys!”

“Hey, Henry!” Charming got up to make him a plate. “Hungry?”

“I think I’ll wait for my mom to wake up and have breakfast with her.”

“Everything all right?” Snow asked with a hint of worry. “She’s usually so early.”

“Yeah… she told me she got out with my dad yesterday and they talked until very late.”

“Well, they do have a lot to talk about…”

 

Charming sat back, by his grandson’s side.

 

“No one asked you yet how you felt about this whole weird family thing… I mean, it’s hard enough with the feud Regina has with us, but your birth father being Rumpelstiltskin’s son…”

“I’d rather have him be my other grandpa than my enemy, the boy answered with a sigh. I don’t think he minds… or cares, anyways.”

“He must care a little, Snow said. He wants his son to forgive him and Neal—I mean, Baelfire wants to play a part in your life, so…”

“Yeah, Charming agreed. But so far, Baelfire has given more effort to this family than his father has. As a matter of fact, Rumpelstiltskin did more for our family before he knew he was a part of it.”

“Give it time, he might come round. Maybe not for Henry, definitely not for us, but for his son.”

 

An hour later, a groggy Emma came down the stairs and the family was having breakfast together, when the phone rang.

 

That call would change everything.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

“Bae?... Waken up son.”

 

Baelfire woke up when he heard his name. No, not the name, it was his father’s voice that made him jump.

 

Rumpelstiltskin was on top of him, staring at him with the most worried eyes in the world.

 

“Bae… Are you okay, son?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m… where’s Henry?”

 

They both looked around to find the boy unconscious, a few feet away. They rushed to him.

 

“Henry?”

 

The boy woke up, but was completely disoriented and confused.

 

“My head…”

“Don’t move just yet… you may have a concussion.”

“Here, Rumpelstiltskin said, let me have a look.”

 

He kneeled by the boy’s side, put his cane down and moved his hand on Henry’s forehead. A few seconds later, Henry was feeling better.

 

“Thank you, Mr Gold.”

“No need to thank me, _dearie_.”

 

The three of them got up and looked about them. Baelfire recognised the land but was astonished by how much it had changed. The trees around them were sick and destroyed and the village in the valley below them looked like ancient ruins.

 

“Where are we?” Henry asked.

“It would seem your spell has succeeded, Henry, the pawnbroker answered. In a way, that is.”

“It’s not my spell, not really… I just followed the instructions in my mom’s book.”

“Still, Baelfire said, we’re in the ‘Fairy Tale World’ now. How do we get back home?”

 

Both Henry and his father looked at Rumpelstiltskin. The man simply answered.

 

“We need a source of power strong enough to travel between two worlds. I can manipulate it to send us back home.”

“That simple, huh? Didn’t it take a curse last time?” Baelfire asked.

“That was because the world was without magic. Now that there’s magic in Storybrooke, we will not need a Dark Curse again.”

“Emma and Mary Margaret only needed the magical compass and the wardrobe ashes, when they got sent here, Henry explained. Oh, and a lake called Nostos.”

“Only that, Baelfire answered sarcastically. So, are there another compass and some ashes lying around here?”

 

He took a few steps to try and calm down. He didn’t want to get angry in front of Henry, but he knew that this world would mean having to deal with his father’s ‘other’ nature. Rumpelstiltskin followed him.

 

“Don’t worry, Bae. I’ll find a way. I promise you.”

“Mr Gold? Uh… I mean… Rumpelstiltskin?”

“What is it, Henry?”

“Your leg… I think it’s healed.”

 

Indeed, he hadn’t needed his cane to walk to his son. It was there, in his hand, looking like a foreign object. He had been so focused on his son, he had not realised and Henry was still adjusting to this new world and the strangeness of it all. Baelfire was the first to react.

 

“Oh, no…”

“It’s okay, Bae”

 

He wanted his voice to be reassuring, but it sounded slightly different… more impish.

 

“No, it’s not… it’s far from being okay.”

“What’s going on?” Henry asked in worry.

“The Dark One’s curse… He’s turning back into it.”

“But… but he got his powers back in Storybrooke, why didn’t he… why didn’t you change back then?”

“Because the source of my power was different, Rumpelstiltskin explained. In Storybrooke, it was True Love that brought my power back. It is easier to manage a power that comes from such a pure source. However, here…”

 

He saw Henry backing away slowly, looking scared. Something about his appearance was terrifying to the boy.

 

“Your eyes… they’re changing…”

“I know… It will be all right. As soon as we get home, I will be human again.”

“And until we get there, your curse will get worse and worse and you’ll grow crazier and eviler by the hour”, Baelfire answered.

 

Rumpelstiltskin smiled, but his impish eyes were sad.

 

“Is there nothing we can do to stop this?” Henry asked. “I mean, true love’s kiss can break any curse.”

“Except that I need this curse to get us back home.”

“And once we get back, your powers will be fuelled by true love and the kiss won’t work. Great!”

“I’m sorry, Bae.”

“Are you?... because it looks to me as though you planned this all along.”

“Bae… please.”

 

Baelfire took a few steps back, trying to clear his head, but Henry wouldn’t give up.

 

“So… you will always be cursed?”

“Back in Storybrooke, I can control it. And, if my son ever forgives me… and when Belle remembers, my love for them will help me appear normal.”

“Until then, we need to hurry.” Baelfire wrapped his arm around Henry’s shoulders. “When you became the Dark One, you went out of control pretty fast. We need to find a way home, for Henry’s sake.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin didn’t answer. In his jacket, his dagger was tingling. His skin was already turning greyish and gold-flecked.

 

“There’s something we can try. For that, we need to find someone.”

“Who?” Henry asked.

“The princess you spoke to in the fire room. Aurora.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Storybrooke, Maine_

 

Emma hung up, her eyes as big as saucers.

 

“Who was it?” Snow asked.

“Jefferson… He wants to see me. Apparently, he’s in trouble and so are we, but he couldn’t say how over the phone.”

 

The Sheriff put her coat on but her father stopped her.

 

“You’re not headed there, are you? After what he did to you and Snow.”

“We’re meeting at Gold’s shop. He said it’s the only place we can both be safe. If he needs that kind of protection, my guess is, it’s family business.”

“Regina.”

“Yup!”

“I’ll come with you, then”, her father said, grabbing his own coat.

 

Snow and Henry both got up as well, picking their stuff.

 

“I’m coming too.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Henry, his mother answered. I mean, I have no idea what Jefferson is going to tell us.”

“If you’re worried he’s going to say something horrible about Regina, I can take it. I know what she did, what she’s capable of.”

“Yeah, but she’s also your adoptive mother, Charming said. It’s hard to hear these cruel things about someone you love.”

“I’ll be okay… and maybe I can help. I’m the only one she will listen to.”

 

 

 

The little bell rang when Emma opened the door of the antiquities shop. She and her father entered first, Snow and Henry followed, holding hands.

 

“Emma! How lovely to see you again!”

 

She stared at the store’s owner for a second. He seemed sincere, but again he always was. When it came to lying, Rumpelstiltskin had the best technique: always tell the truth. He would pick his words carefully so he’d never lie, but never reveal what he needed to keep hidden.

 

“Yeah, you too… considering.”

 

He smiled again, a mixture of malice and sincerity. Only he could pull that off. Charming was about to break the spell by asking about Jefferson, when the pawnbroker interrupted him.

 

“Henry, would you mind locking the door behind you and turning that sign to ‘closed’, please?... thank you. Follow me.”

 

They all went to the back room, where Jefferson was… sitting on the camp bed and suspiciously immobile. A purple glow surrounded him. When he saw Emma, he tried to rush to her but the spell locked him back on his seat.

 

“What did you do to him?” Emma asked, walking to the poor man.

 

But, the Dark One grabbed her by the arm and made her stop.

 

“That’s close enough. Trust me; this is for your safety as well as his.”

“He’s right, Jefferson said while struggling. I’m… I’m dangerous.”

“What do you mean?” Charming approached the man to place himself between him and his daughter. “What did you do, again?”

“Oh, this time, I’m innocent… I ran here the moment I found out about…” He was still struggling to break free from Rumpelstiltskin’s spell. Like a force inside him compelled him to. “I’m cursed… Regina, she wants Henry back… she wants him for herself only.”

“She was never really good at sharing”, Gold sneered.

“And she knows that the only way to have what she had with Henry in the past is if his whole birth family dies.”

“She already tried that with Cora, Snow answered. They wanted to use Rumpelstiltskin to kill us.”

“But you stopped them remarkably”, the imp answered.

 

Snow had an angry look towards him. She still hadn’t gotten over what he had made her do.

 

“She has to know I will never forgive her if she tries this”, Henry intervened.

“Which is why she used me this time, Henry… Rumpelstiltskin, please!”

“You will remain where you are, dearie.”

“ugh… okay… I have a history with Emma; I treated her rather badly last time we met. Same thing with her mother and Regina knows that. After kidnapping them both, I could easily top that and resort to murder. I’m the perfect scapegoat. I’d kill them all, Regina would come in and kill me and she would be your hero and a shoulder to cry on.”

“So you ran here to get Gold to stop you?” Emma asked.

“I can’t undo this curse, Miss Swan, the man explained. Only the person who has cast this kind of curse can break it. All I can do is keep him like this until you find a way to make Regina stop.”

 

They all looked at each other, confused.

 

“So we have to convince her to give up?” Charming held Snow in his arms. “She’s never listened before; I don’t think she will now.”

“Maybe she will, Emma said. She’s driven, blinded, by the desire to have Henry back, but doesn’t care what _he_ wants. If I convinced her to talk to him, she would at least listen to what he has to say about this.”

“It’s worth a try.”

 

By their side, Henry had a reassured smile.

 

“I’m ready to try.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

“Is it safe?” Baelfire asked.

“No worries, his father answered. Aurora has seen Henry before; she will remember him and will want to help.”

 

He looked down the little pond where they had stopped and moved his hand over it. Slowly, the water changed and revealed the young princess.

 

“It’s her!” Henry shouted.

 

She was running, scared for her life. In her hand was a dagger she seemed too frightened to use.

 

“She’s in danger! Mr Gold, we have to help her.”

“In a minute, Henry, I’m closing in on her location.”

 

By their side, Baelfire was both worried about the situation and the progression of the Dark One’s curse on his father. He still hadn’t told them the reason why he needed Aurora’s aid, only that it was essential. There was something shady, he could feel it.

 

The princess’ surroundings became more precise and the image revealed another woman running behind and shouting something. The other woman, an Asian, had a sword on her belt and a bow in her hand. And behind them, an ogre was coming fast.

 

Rumpelstiltskin stood up, put his cane under his arm and held both his hands in front of him.

 

“Quick, grab my hands.”

 

 

 

Aurora was out of breath but kept running through the trees, away from the beast.

 

“Head for the clearing, Mulan screamed. I can shoot him from there.”

 

She still had one arrow left; she couldn’t afford to miss.

 

They ran to the clearing and spread. Aurora screamed to lure the ogre towards her so Mulan could prepare her bow, and then Mulan screamed back. The ogre turned and…

 

… She missed.

 

A sound had distracted her and the arrow took a part of the ogre’s left ear. He bellowed and charged Mulan but was stopped by a massive ball of fire. The woman turned to see a strange man doing magic, a younger man and a boy. All three were dressed in that strange fashion Emma and her mother were. She turned back to see the ogre fall on the ground, dead… and another come in behind him.

 

Aurora had already run towards the strange man and Mulan did the same. So far, they were all still on the same side. Another ball of fire came from the man’s hand and, with the smile of a demon, he burned the ogre into a pile of ashes.

 

“Papa, stop!” Baelfire screamed, covering Henry in his arms. “He’s dead already, stop it!”

 

Rumpelstiltskin lowered his hand, looking confused, waking from a bad dream. Henry noticed his eyes were even darker, his skin more damaged and even his nails had become like dark claws. When he reopened his mouth to talk, Henry noticed the blackened teeth.

 

“I’m… I’m sorry, Bae. I lost myself a little.”

“… Henry?”

 

It was Aurora who had spoken. She had recognised the boy.

 

“Aurora… hi!”

 

The princess smiled but her smile faded, looking at the two men.

 

“Why are you here? I thought Emma and her mother had gotten back home safely.”

“They did… many things happened after that and when I tried to solve a problem… I brought us here instead.”

 

While Henry was explaining that to Aurora, Mulan kept staring at the strange man and the younger one who had called him ‘Papa’. Henry noticed.

 

“Oh, this is my father, Neal—uh I mean, Baelfire and my… grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin.”

“What?”

 

Aurora took an instinctive step towards Henry, as if to protect him. Mulan drew her sword and placed it between herself and the imp.

 

“My name often causes that kind of reaction”, Rumpelstiltskin answered with an evil sneer.

“Papa, please, calm down… And Lady, for your own safety, I think you should put down that sword.”

“Mulan, he just saved our lives, Aurora pleaded. And he told Emma about the ink when she needed his help. He can’t be _that_ bad.”

“You haven’t heard all the stories I have”, the warrior replied.

 

She kept her sword up, pointing at the Dark One… which only annoyed him more. With a move of his hand, the blade turned into a snake.

 

Mulan screamed and dropped the snake which fell on the ground in the shape of a sword again.

 

“Papa, for Christ’s sake!”

“You said it yourself: I am getting worse by the minute. We need to get back home, Aurora can help us. I will not let her friend get in the way.”

 

Mulan wanted to answer back, but Aurora interrupted her.

 

“How can I help you?”

“Emma told me you had something of mine, a certain medallion. I need it back.”

“Absolutely not”, Mulan answered aggressively.

“We need it to find a way to save my true love, Philip. His soul was taken by the Wraith. I… I can’t give it to you.”

“Why do you need that medallion?” Henry asked.

“It is a source of power strong enough to cross worlds and it’s the easiest to find. We are, after all, in a hurry.”

“Out of the question, Mulan said. If we give it to you, Philip will be lost forever.”

“Well, you are not the one making that decision, dearie. Only Philip’s true love, the one who guards his soul gets to decide if she deals with me, or not.”

 

Mulan stayed silent. Rumpelstiltskin had figured her out in a flash. It wasn’t her decision to make because Philip wasn’t hers. He would never be.

 

“I’d love to help you, Henry, Aurora apologised. And your family get back together. I owe that to Emma and Snow White… But I can’t sacrifice Philip.” She turned to Mr Gold. “If I give you the medallion, can you use it to bring Philip back?”

 

He smiled… a grin his son didn’t like. Neither did Mulan.

 

“Indeed I can. I’ll give you your prince in exchange for the medallion.”

“Don’t trust him, Aurora.” Mulan had picked up her sword but kept it pointed towards the ground. “He won’t have to keep his word once you give him what he wants.”

“I have been making deals for centuries, and I have broken only one of them. Only. One. _And it’s cost me more than my whole life is worth_. If you know the ‘stories’ about me, you do know that I always honour my agreements. To the letter.”

“That’s true, Henry agreed. Well, according to my book… and my dad said the book is pretty accurate.”

 

Baelfire didn’t say anything. Hearing his father confess this little piece of his soul was just too painful to bear. He had, after all, sold his soul to protect him and when they parted, the spinner’s soul was broken forever.

 

“A- all right, Aurora decided. A way home in exchange for Philip.”

“Deal!” He shook the princess’ hand. “The medallion, please.”

“Give us Philip first!” Mulan ordered.

 

Rumpelstiltskin sighed and Aurora had a sorry smile.

 

“Well, for that, you’ll have to show me where he is!”

“A day’s walk from here, to the East.”

“Fine.” He moved his hand to transport them with a spell, but was stopped by his son’s hand. “Bae?”

“The more you use magic, the worse you get… Let’s try to use it only when necessary, so you don’t kill anyone before we get home. We could use a good walk.”

 

Mulan seemed to agree… probably because somehow she knew if the imp lost control, she would be the first to die.

 

“All right, she said. Follow me.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Storybrooke, Maine_

 

Emma ringed the doorbell and waited. For good measure, she had left her gun at home but her father had insisted on Gold putting a protective spell on her, in case Regina tried to take her heart.

 

“What do you want?”

“Good morning to you too”, the Sheriff answered.

 

Regina stepped outside and looked around.

 

“I came alone, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“What do you want? To gloat? To rub your happiness in my face after you steal my son again?”

“You know—? Okay, I’ve had enough of this. The reason why Henry is with me is because when he was with you, you treated him like he was an idiot and you made him believe he was crazy. You could have deserved his love when we last gave you the chance, but you preferred to try and kill his family again, instead.”

“ _I’m_ his family.”

“No! You’re _part_ of his family. And the more you try to destroy it, the more you risk losing him forever. You’re too blinded by your own ego to see that his love should be enough.”

 

She had struck a nerve. In the former queen’s mind, her mother’s last words echoed. _You would have been enough_. Enough to be happy. Enough to make life worth it. Vengeance is never satisfying enough; Cora had learned that too late, but she still could. Perhaps it was about time she learned.

 

“I came today, Emma continued, because in spite of the fact that you tried to have us all murdered, again, in spite of the fact that you went on a stupid vendetta against Mary Margaret, not caring how Henry feels about this, again… Henry still believes you can become a good person. He still loves you, he still calls you his mom and every time you hurt someone he loves, _it breaks his heart_.”

 

Again, Regina stayed silent. Something was changing in her, taken aback by the crude truth: she had never cared about how Henry felt about this. Well… only once, she did, when she let him go with David, but since then, she had gone back to her own petty needs and hurt him once more.

 

“Can I see him?”

 

It wasn’t an order or a sarcastic remark, this time. Emma had a little smile of relief.

 

“I can make it happen. Why don’t you come with me? He’s at Granny’s right now with… a friend. I thought Mary Margaret and David should stay home for today… for obvious reasons.”

 

Regina didn’t hesitate and followed the Sheriff to the diner, not knowing someone else had witnessed the scene.

 

Greg Mendell had watched carefully as the two women got in the yellow bug. He waited a few seconds and took a step towards the house.

 

He stopped in his tracks. One of the curtains had moved, betraying the person already in the house. He hid back in the bushes and saw the man leave the house a few minutes after the two ladies, carrying something, and carefully closing the door behind him.

 

‘ _I’m not the only one who wants to get back at her_ ’, he thought.

 

 

 

Henry’s two mothers entered the diner to find him chatting with Ruby over a plate of fries.

 

“Hey, where’s Neal?”

“Tamara sent him a text not long after you left. They had to talk about something… He said he’d be right back.”

“Okay then.”

 

She sat on a bench facing her son and stole one of his fries, keeping a discreet eye on Regina. Henry and his adoptive mother faced each other, not knowing what to say.

 

“Miss Swan told me you wanted to see me?”

“Yeah… I missed you and wanted to talk.”

“You could have come to me anytime you wanted, sweetie. My door’s always—”

“No, you don’t understand. I miss my _mom_. Not the queen who keeps hurting my family, I miss the good Regina, the one who chose to be my mother.” He waited for Regina’s reaction; the woman’s breath was cut by his truth. “I know that person is still in there, you proved me you could be a good person again. I know it’s hard, but you have to try.”

 

She couldn’t answer, so she nodded her head to show she understood.

 

“I know you love me, and I love you too. You’re still my mom. You’re just not my only mom. I have a big family now and I love them all. I want you to be a part of it and everybody else is willing to give it a try.”

 

Baelfire got back at that moment and slipped something in Henry’s backpack, unnoticed. Henry was busy giving a hug to Regina, who was busy trying not to cry.

 

“You’re right, Henry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you have to apologise to.”

“I know.”

 

He hugged her tighter to give her more courage and Emma smiled. It had happened rather well. The four of them sat at the table to enjoy a time of peace and small talk.

 

“So… you’re Rumpelstiltskin’s son?”

“Among other things”, Baelfire answered.

“He’s also my dad”, Henry said.

“Your…?”

“Very long story”, Emma concluded.

 

 

 

Two hours later, Regina closed the door of her house with a happy smile. Everything would be better now, between her and her son. Emma was willing to help make these things better, in spite of all that had happened. Even Rumpelstiltskin’s son seemed opened to that truce…

 

But it could also be a trick from his father. As if she didn’t have enough of a feud with Henry’s maternal grandparents, now they had to add the imp in the mix.

 

But she had had lunch with her son and nothing would put her mood down.

 

Nothing?

 

“What the…?”

 

In her living room, every drawer and shelf had been searched through and the contents dumped on the ground. Quickly, she ran upstairs. Her bedroom, the guest room, Henry’s old bedroom had all been trashed.

 

Her first reaction was to blame her old enemies, but Emma had been with her all the time. _His son_ was late, but he would never have had the time to do all this… Only Gold and Emma’s parents were absent.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

“So… what happened?”

 

As they were walking, Aurora felt that the awkwardness would be tamed if they talked about something.

 

“Well, my adoptive mother was trying to use someone to murder my birth family. So I tried to talk to her without telling her we knew about her plan. Emma and I managed to make a truce with her. She also learned that my dad was Mr Gold’s son and seemed to take it well.”

“But in case things went wrong, Baelfire added, my father had told us about a book of spells Regina had and I went to take it. A precaution; if she tried something again, we would know what to do to stop her.”

“Did she find out you had stolen from her?”

“That’s the thing, I only took the book; I touched nothing else. But Emma got a phone call that the place had been trashed and Regina was holding us all responsible.”

“Someone else went in after you, looking for the book?”

“Maybe… So she was going to do something bad again, promised revenge and everything.”

“So I looked through her book, Henry said, and I found a spell called the Vanishing Curse. It was supposed to send all magic away from Storybrooke, so Regina wouldn’t use it as a way to hurt people. But I did something wrong and now we’re here.”

“Don’t worry, Henry, Baelfire reassured him. We’ll go back home. If someone can find a way to do that, it’s your grandfather.”

 

Behind them, Rumpelstiltskin had stayed silent. The compliment, however, struck him in his wretched soul.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Storybrooke, Maine_

 

Snow and Charming ran to the well, anticipating the worst. By their side, Regina was out of breath, unused to running around like this.

 

“Emma?... Henry?”

 

Snow stopped shouting when she saw her daughter crying at the well. She rushed to her.

 

“Emma! What happened? Are you hurt?”

“… Henry… he’s… ”

 

She couldn’t stop sobbing and could barely make out a sentence. But, Regina quickly broke the spell.

 

“Where is he? Where’s my son?”

“Something happened… like the vortex we used to… to come back… It, it took him.”

 

Snow and Charming helped their daughter up, already considering the problem and thinking of a solution.

 

“We’ll find a way, Charming said. All of us, we’ll get him back. Maybe Gold knows a trick we can use.”

“No… he… he went with him…”

“What, Regina asked. You let Henry go alone with him?”

“I didn’t _let_ anything happen. I tried to stop it.”

“You did this, all of you. First you use Henry as a lure to steal from me and then you let my son go with this monster… This is all your fault.”

“That’s it!” Emma snapped.

 

The ex-mayor didn’t even have the time to react; the sheriff jumped on her and, with all the strength of her rage, she threw her on the ground. A second later, she was on top of her, holding her down.

 

“Get off me!”

“Listen to me very carefully, you self-centred bitch! _We_ didn’t do anything. _You_ are the one who promised Henry you would behave like an adult, to be worthy of him. Twice! And you are the one who broke that promise. You broke his heart, not us. We actually tried to give you another chance, even though all you deserve is my fist on your face! It’s because you threatened us again that he’s gone. He tried to take magic away from this place, again. And this time, he had help.” She took the magic book out of her pocket. It had been thrown away by the wave of the vortex. “Look at the page he bookmarked!”

 

She shoved it inches from Regina’s face so the woman would have no choice but to see the truth. By their side, Snow and Charming were aghast; they had never seen Emma so aggressive, but also understood why she was acting in this manner. Still, they both kneeled by their daughter’s side to offer some support but also stop her is necessary.

 

“The… Vanishing curse?” Regina frowned. She was suddenly very worried.

“Do you know what it does?”

“Yes… it sends anyone or anything you choose back to the world where it came from.”

“Is there a way to reverse it?” Charming asked.

“I… I don’t know. Not from this end.”

 

She looked sincere, defeated. Emma let go of her and her father helped her up. Snow offered her help to Regina, but the queen refused and got up on her own.

 

“Maybe I can try to communicate with them, he suggested. Like we did before, in the fire room. Gold would know what to do. If I reach Henry, we’ll be able to pass some messages.”

“We’ll try.” Emma turned to Regina. “Will you help us?”

“… I will.”

 

Better than nothing, they ran back out of the forest to reach their apartment. On the way, Regina tripped and Snow stopped her fall and helped her up. She didn’t thank her, but didn’t tell her off either.

 

Better than nothing.

 

 

 

“Okay, here’s what we know, Emma said once they had entered the apartment. We knew you had another plan to have us all killed, by using Jefferson… Yeah, we did. Henry still believed in you, so we thought we could give you a chance to do the right thing on your own. We know that somehow he got your book and a few hours later, you threatened us again. He had enough and he ran out of the apartment. I found him by the well, trying this Vanishing curse thing.”

“And Gold was there with him, Regina added. So he’s the one who took my book.”

“Why would he need it?” Charming asked. “He probably knows all the spells by heart. Also, he wouldn’t need to trash the place to find it, he’d make it come to him, or something.”

“No… not him.” Emma’s eyes widened. “Neal… he was late at the restaurant. He wants to get his father back, clean from magic. Neal and Henry, they worked together on this.”

“He would have had to be quick. Regina said the whole house was trashed. He wasn’t missing that long.”

“Maybe someone else did it, Snow suggested. We know the book was taken, but maybe something else is missing. Someone could have seen Neal leave the house and taken the opportunity to attack Regina and put the blame on Rumpelstiltskin’s son.”

“Who, then?” Regina asked.

“Well, you have a few ‘fans’, Emma answered. I can stop by the house and take a look once Henry, Neal and Gold are back. Maybe Neal even saw the person who did it.”

“Okay, Charming said. So how do we bring them back?”

 

Regina didn’t answer. For the past few minutes, she had been playing with her hands in worry. She took a few steps and moved her hand over a vase. The vase flew against a wall and exploded in a million pieces.

 

“The hell?” Emma shouted.

“I just wanted to know if we still had magic here. David mentioned he could try to communicate with Henry and I can make him reach this deep stage of sleep. Knowing that imp, he’ll have no problem doing the same to Henry.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

They had walked for most of the day, barely stopping for some water, but Henry was now growing too tired. The more they went on their path, the less he could keep up. To add to that, they were all getting very cold because the sun had set an hour ago.

 

“We need to take a break, Baelfire said. Henry needs to recover.”

“We can’t stay here, Mulan answered. This area is not safe.”

“Neither am I, _dearie_. Bae is right; we’ll rest here for a while.”

 

She didn’t dare contradict the Dark One. After all, Aurora needed rest too and she preferred to work on making the camp site as safe as possible.

 

_Whoosh!_

 

“What the…”

 

Rumpelstiltskin had lit a fire with a spell.

 

“We cannot make a fire, Mulan opposed. These ogres, they will pick the sent and find us.”

“Let them try. I’ll be on the watch. But I will not let my son, or his son, catch their death in the cold.”

“ugh… Is he always like that?”

 

Baelfire nodded with a laugh and a shiver.

 

“It’s very hard to win an argument with him, especially if the subject of the conversation is me.”

“I’ll go check the surroundings.”

 

She left after a brief look at Aurora, making sure she would be okay around the strangers for a few minutes. Everyone else got ready to rest around the fire. Rumpelstiltskin sat on a big stone and dropped his cane on the ground. His son sat down and rested his back on the same rock, so his head would be around his father’s waist and invited Henry to sit by his side. Rumpelstiltskin liked the gesture, but also knew it was a way to keep an eye on him. If he left during the night, it would wake them up.

 

Aurora took her little blanket and placed it on the ground to sleep on it, wrapped up in her cape. She actually didn’t mind the fire. For once, she wouldn’t shiver during the night. She had a smile of gratitude towards Rumpelstiltskin before she rested her head on the ground, the little pouch where the amulet was would rest under her.

 

Mulan came back from her lookout and sat by Aurora’s side. Henry fell asleep very quickly and Aurora not long after him. Mulan, keeping her eye on the Dark One, turned around for a second, hearing a twig break. That second was enough for Rumpelstiltskin to send a little spell on the Sleeping Beauty. She immediately fell into a deeper sleep.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_The fire was raging everywhere; the burning sensation of it growing nearer without it ever touching you was alienating. The noise this inferno made also covered everything else._

_Aurora was getting more used to this place but she was having this dream less and less often. She was surprised to have reached such a deep sleep, with the stress of having these strangers around her._

_Also, Henry wasn’t there, but he had not been under the sleeping curse for around thirty years like she had._

_“Hello?”_

_A man’s voice. She turned around to see the one who had spoken. The man seemed exhausted, as if he had been waiting there for a while._

_“Are you Aurora?”_

_“Yes!... Who are you?”_

_“My name’s David. You know my wife, Snow White.”_

_“… Charming?”_

_He smiled and nodded, trying to get closer to her._

_“That’s how she calls me… Tell me, is Henry in here?”_

_“No… he fell asleep before I did, I don’t know why he isn’t here.”_

_“But he’s with you?”_

_“Yes! With his father and his grandfather… well, the other grandfather.”_

_“Great! We’re trying to get them home. Can you help us, like last time?”_

_“Rumpelstiltskin has a way, but he won’t say how it works.”_

_“Can you give him a message from me?” The princess nodded. “Ask him how we can help from our end. There’s still magic in Storybrooke and Regina is willing to help us.”_

_“What?” She seemed truly surprised._

_“I know… Tell that to Henry. It will make him feel better.”_

_“I… I will…”_

_“Oh, no… I’m waking up.”_

_Indeed, he was fading away before her eyes._

_“I’ll tell them, Aurora shouted. I promise.”_

_“Thank you… I’ll be back in three hou—”_

_And then he was gone._

_“Three hours… Tell Rumpelstiltskin the others can help… Tell Henry Regina will help… back in three hours…”_

_She kept repeating it to herself until she woke up._

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

Mulan had taken off her cape and used it to cover Aurora and keep her warmer. Both Baelfire and Henry were asleep and Rumpelstiltskin had wrapped his arm around his son’s neck and shoulders.

 

When the warrior got back up, she noticed the imp staring at her.

 

“What?”

“I just find it rather lovely how you take care of her, he answered sarcastically. Considering she is your rival.”

“I promised Prince Philip I would keep her safe… and we’re not rivals.”

“Oh, so that little look of envy in your eyes when she mentions her ‘twue wuv’ is just that?”

“That’s none of your business”, she whispered as clearly as she could.

“Ah, but you see, it is. Philip is our ticket out of here and he’s a delicate subject for you to handle. I will not have you cause us any complications.”

 

The whisper of his father’s voice awoke Baelfire, but he did not move, keeping his ears ready to listen to what new strangeness his papa would say.

 

“I won’t be a problem, Mulan said, if you do no harm to Philip or Aurora.”

“Don’t you somehow wish something happened to her? You would have your prince all to yourself.”

 

She didn’t answer, but shivered. He smiled, a smirk that announced bad news.

 

“You have thought of it, haven’t you? But you could never resign yourself to it because you know it would break poor Philip’s heart.”

“You… how do you—”

“—know that? Simple. I know what it is to love someone who doesn’t love you back. It feels like having your heart crushed by an unspeakable force. You become weak, vulnerable, and your mind dabbles with you, creating all these horrible scenarios you end up wishing for.”

 

She thought she knew what he was speaking of. She dared not speak of Belle, of their encounter, of what they had talked about.

 

“How did you deal with it?” she simply asked.

“I dealt with it by giving everything I could to my son. He had been left behind just the same, after all and I hoped I could fill in that void. Giving him my whole attention managed to soothe some of the pain… just like you are doing with your friend.”

“Did… did you fall in love again, after that?”

 

The question surprised him. Maybe she wanted to know if she could dare to hope. In reality, she was curious and wanted to know if Belle was loved by the beast she had risked her life for.

 

“Centuries later, it happened… A young woman needed me to teach her some magic. We quickly fell in love, but everything about it wrong.”

 

He didn’t know why he was talking about this. It was a personal matter, a secret. But this woman wouldn’t be a liability because he already knew her big secret.

 

“What do you mean?”

“It was true love and yet it wasn’t. It wasn’t me she loved, it was the Dark One and the power it could give her. When the time came to choose between love and power, she ripped out her own heart to stop feeling anything for me.”

 

The warrior understood, so did the Dark One’s son. The woman wasn’t Belle, there had been another one before her. A monster.

 

“Cora”, Mulan simply said. Rumpelstiltskin acquiesced. “So… when you lose in love, you are bound to lose forever?”

“I don’t know, really. I fell in love again, true love this time. But things kept getting in the way. We keep fighting for each other, hoping to be happy… just like you will when you find the right one.”

 

Mulan shook her head.

 

“Philip was the right one. I fight so he can be happy with his true love. I can’t wait centuries, like you did.”

“True love has many forms, dearie. If not in a spouse, maybe you’ll find it in a child?”

 

He looked down at his own son with love, only to realise Baelfire was awake. He felt his heart jump in his throat.

 

“Bae…?”

“My father, the love expert! The things I hear.”

 

He laughed and so did Rumpelstiltskin. Even Mulan had a smile. He was right, she thought, love has many forms. She wasn’t sure about children, but she knew true friendships made her feel right. Who knows what else fate would bring her way?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_Storybrooke, Maine_

 

“So, you’re meeting back in three hours”, Snow said.

“Yeah… I’m sure she’ll be there, but I don’t know if she’ll have an answer for us.”

“But she said Gold has a way to get back?” Emma asked.

“Yes, she did. And knowing him, it’s something big, complicated—”

“And insane, yeah!” Suddenly, she had an idea. “Speaking of insane… Jefferson’s hat can go through different worlds. Maybe he has an idea on how we can help.”

“He would”, Snow approved.

“I wouldn’t count on that”, Regina said.

“Why not? He’s the only one here who knows how to travel between worlds. He could—”

“And I used him to have another revenge on you. He barely helped me last time I needed him, and that’s because I had something he wanted. He won’t help me now. Not willingly.”

“We can’t sit here and wait for three hours, Snow concluded. We have to try something. I’m going.”

“Not alone, you’re not.” Charming got up to follow her. “He’s set to kill us, remember? There’s no way of knowing for how long Gold’s spell will hold him.”

 

 

 

They walked to the pawnshop and stared at the entrance. Regina tried a spell to open the door, but it failed, which was odd… She, like her mother, had her magic from the Dark One, so it was compatible… but maybe not strong enough. They had had to do it together, last time around.

 

“I’ll give it a go”, Emma proposed.

“You?”

“Why not? He seems to have a thing for true love and he said that’s what I was, so…”

 

She closed her eyes and tried to remember. Magic is emotion. She thought of Henry, of how she loved him and she kept repeating herself that the way to save Henry was to open that door. Slowly, she felt it happen, the magic flew from her and made its way to the door of the shop. The door resisted for a few seconds but eventually opened.

 

Emma sighed with exhaustion.

 

“Wonder how come you’re so hungry for it, magic is a pain!”

 

She didn’t wait for Regina’s answer and she entered the shop to go see Jefferson.

 

Sitting still on the camp bed, he began struggling again when he saw Emma.

 

“Emma! Stay away… I… I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know, she answered as the others entered the office. We’re going to get rid of that thing so we can talk.”

 

She turned to Regina, waiting for her to undo the spell she had made on the Mad Hatter. Charming took out his gun, just in case the man still attacked them, but pointed it towards the ground. The ex-mayor raised her right hand and made the spell vanish. When it did, Gold’s barrier also fell and Jefferson could finally get up on his feet. He stared at Regina with murderous eyes.

 

“Changed your mind quickly enough. What happened? Henry threatened you?”

“No… he’s gone.”

“Good. That’s all you deserve. You separate families, murder them and think you’re entitled to a child you can’t even treat right? I’m glad he chose Emma and her family.”

“That’s not what she meant, Emma interrupted. Henry’s gone. When Regina threatened us, he stole her book of spells and tried to send magic back to the fairy tale land. Instead, he was sent there.”

 

Jefferson was suddenly very concerned.

 

“Alone?”

“No… Neal’s with him. That’s uh…”

“Rumpelstiltskin’s son, Baelfire… I know. He told me earlier. What about him?”

“Gold?... He’s there with them too.”

“Good! He’ll get them back in no time. Now, if you don’t mind, Grace is about to finish school and I would like to walk her home.”

“No wait! You know how to travel between worlds, you must know of something we can do to help them get back.”

“I’m sorry, Emma. I am. I mean, I owe you for the way I treated you last time, I was out of my mind. But I don’t think there’s anything you can do _and_ I am not going to help that woman again. Last time I helped her, she promised me my daughter and didn’t deliver. Henry was the one who helped me.”

“Then don’t do it for her, do it for Henry! You have your daughter back, Jefferson, please help me have the same with my son.”

 

Jefferson had a sigh of sadness. He owed them all, except for Regina. And she seemed tame for the moment.

 

“Just let me get Grace someplace safe first, okay? I’ll think of something.”

 

 

 

An hour later, Grace was sitting in a corner of Mary Margaret’s apartment, eating cookies and her father, sitting by her side, had heard the whole story of the Vanishing Curse.

 

“You know, he told Regina, all of this could have been avoided if you had simply listened to him and gave up on all that crap to be a mother.”

“Who are you to give me a lesson on parenting?”

“Who am I?... Oh, just someone who _gave up on all that crap to be a parent!_ ”

“You make it sound like it’s all my choice. You made me who I am. You and Rumple, you’re as guilty as I am.”

“Actually, I did… nothing. I stood by and watched because none of it was my business. As for dear old Rumple, he knew it was your destiny to cast the curse, all he did was giving you the tools. And as someone who went nuts without my child, I have no right to judge him on this. No, what I’m talking about is, once the curse broke and Henry gave you a chance to be his mom again, you should have taken it. Your destiny was done. And the reason why you were still alive was right there by your side… well, now it’s gone away, with Rumple of all things.”

“All right, stop it, Emma ordered. Both of you. Fight about the past on your own time, not on Henry’s.”

“My papa said that Rumpelstiltskin was the most powerful person he’d ever met, Grace said. I’m sure Henry will be home soon.”

 

Emma smiled at the child.

 

“Thank you, Grace.”

“Now, Jefferson added, we need to know how he’s trying to return. Without the ‘how’, I have no idea on what to do to help. So it’s up to that Sleeping Beauty to convince the Dark One to reveal his plan. Otherwise, he’s on his own.”

 

He stole one of Grace’s cookies with a wink at her. In the meantime, Charming took his coat off and went to lie on the bed.

 

“We still have one hour left”, Snow told him.

“I know…”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_In the remnants of the Enchanted Forest_

 

“Are you absolutely certain about that, dearie?”

“Yes, Aurora answered. I guess, when Henry vanished, Regina woke up.” She stopped walking and looked at Henry. “She wants to help now.”

 

Henry had a little smile, but the Dark One was not so enthusiastic.

 

“What’s wrong, Papa?”

“I don’t… I don’t know if they can do anything on their end. I have never used a Wraith to travel from one world to another. I guess, the portal will need stabilising and Regina can help there… Actually, Emma could probably help more, due to the source of her powers, if only she controlled them.”

“We’re talking to them again in three hours, right? Then let’s focus on getting to Prince Philip so we’re ready when the time comes.”

“We’re almost there”, Mulan agreed.

 

They all resumed their walk to Philip’s shrine, feeling a little bit glum. The conversation Rumpelstiltskin had had with Mulan still had its effect on the warrior’s mind and on Baelfire’s as well. Henry was torn between the good news of his mother’s change of heart, and the concern it could be temporary again. Aurora was hoping to see Philip again soon and led the way with a heart full of promise.

 

 

 

Once they had reached their destination, Aurora gave Philip a kiss, more for herself than for him, and looked at Rumpelstiltskin.

 

“Is it almost time to warn the others?”

“It is.”

“Then, what should I tell them?”

“The truth, he confessed. That we’re using the Wraith’s power to travel back. That we have no way of knowing how stable the portal will be and that Emma and Regina might need a miracle to keep it functional until we’ve all passed through. Of course, Henry will be safe, I’ll make sure of it.”

“All… all right. Is there anything else they need to do?”

“Be by the well half an hour after you wake up. All of them.”

 

She nodded and sat down, her back pressed on the stone where Philip now laid. Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand to make her sleep and waited.

 

And they waited.

 

When Aurora woke up again, she said something that startled them.

 

“Jefferson!”

“What about Jefferson?” Rumpelstiltskin asked.

“Apparently he’s there with them and wants to help. David wanted me to tell you that. He said it could be important.”

“And you told him everything?”

“I did… Who’s Jefferson?”

“He’s as close to a friend someone like me can have. And he has a very interesting gift. He’s pretty much an expert in the act of travelling between worlds.”

 

He got back on his feet with a happy smile.

 

“This is very good news.” He gave his cane to Henry. “Would you hold on to this for a while?”

“Of course!”

“Thank you, Henry. Don’t lose it. I’ll need it back, once we get to Storybrooke.”

 

Henry held it firmly and Baelfire took his hand. Rumpelstiltskin took his dagger from his jacket pocket and offered his hand to Aurora.

 

“The medallion, please. Inside the pouch if you will.”

 

She gave him the precious pouch and he opened it carefully. Once the medallion was out, he walked to Philip and marked him, then put it on the ground and summoned the Wraith, like he had done months ago.

 

“I suggest you all take a step back.” He waited and then raised his knife and concentrated on his spell. “The Dark One summons thee!”

 

He planted the dagger on the ground, but removed it the moment the medallion began to tingle. A second after, the Wraith was out.

 

Everybody backed out and the Wraith went for its pray, but stopped. Something was wrong.

 

“What’s going on?” Aurora screamed.

“It has already taken this soul, the Dark One answered. It doesn’t know what to do. These creatures don’t really have a mind of their own. Only great power and a mission.”

 

The Wraith flew back to its medallion, but Rumpelstiltskin had stepped in the way and was holding it by the beads.

 

“All of you should grab hold of the prince. This power will get very unstable.”

 

They didn’t argue and took the prince’s hands and feet. The wind was already very powerful, like that of a storm. The sky was darkening, as the Wraith faced the Dark One.

 

“Come here!” Rumpelstiltskin shouted, showing his blackened teeth.

 

The Wraith paused and then rushed on him.

 

“Papa!”

 

Rumpelstiltskin didn’t hear and let the Wraith attack him. The moment it was about to pass through, the imp stabbed him with his dagger.

 

The shriek deafened them all for a moment.

 

 

 

By the well, they saw the sky darken and Jefferson warned them.

 

“Okay, it’s about to happen.” He had grabbed what was left of his hat and made a sign to Emma. “Okay, wait here by the side. When it starts, remember to—”

“Focus on Henry, on my love for him. Got it.”

“Okay, little Miss Believer in magic! As for your parents, you’re not very useful now, but Emma could use your support. Like the man says, true love is the most powerful magic.”

 

They stood by Emma’s side and placed their hands on her shoulders trying to calm her down. Jefferson stood by the other side with Regina and waited.

 

Suddenly a green and black cloud came out of the well, followed by a tornado-like portal. Jefferson threw his broken and burned hat into the vortex; there was not much magic left in it but it was better than nothing. It seemed to add a little boost to it, because the vortex grew bigger and bigger.

 

“It’s about the right strength, Jefferson shouted. Any more than that and it will grow unstable.”

 

Emma took a deep breath and began working on her magic. Around them, her parents sent all the love they could her way. They had no magic, but she still felt it and managed to send a pale white glow towards the vortex. Regina did the same on her end and the storm quickly stabilised. But it would not last long.

 

 

 

The Wraith struggled but Rumpelstiltskin stood his ground and plunged the dagger deeper into the creature’s bodiless soul. The shriek ended and the creature seemed to pass through the Dark One who then released a gigantic spell; a vortex that swallowed everyone and everything around them.

 

“Hold on!” Baelfire shouted to Henry.

 

 

 

“I’m losing it, Emma screamed. Regina! I can’t hold it…”

“You have to, the witch answered. I’m slipping myself. I can’t hold it alone!”

 

Snow and Charming held Emma tighter and Snow kissed Emma’s forehead. Emma’s eyes opened wide and some more white energy escaped her to go to the vortex. She let out a tear of joy and held her end stronger. True love really was powerful magic.

 

Since she was alone and slipping, Jefferson decided to help Regina, but for Henry’s sake only.

 

“Come on, Regina. Channel that good person in you. I know it’s locked up and hidden far away—”

“If you’re not going to help…”

“Okay… Remember how much you love Henry. Remember how much you loved Daniel. Henry’s mother, it’s just a grown up version of that Regina. The good one. The one that matters.”

“To who?”

“To your child. You’re not a queen anymore, _you are way more than that. You are a mother_.”

 

It seemed to work; Regina’s face changed and her magic grew a new strength. A few seconds later, they saw some shapes into the portal and Jefferson stood right before it.

 

“Well, here goes!”

 

He stretched his hand into the storm and grabbed the first thing he could feel. It was Aurora. She screamed and fell on the ground, holding only a part of Philip’s sleeve. Jefferson reached again and this time found the prince’s hand that he pulled… making Philip and Mulan appear.

 

“The hell?”

 

The two mothers were still holding the vortex and Aurora stood up to watch in horror as it was going to crumble.

 

“Henry’s still in there!” she shouted.

 

She turned to Philip. He was still ‘dead’. The imp had lied to them. He had used the power for his own need first.

 

“Hold it a little more!” Jefferson shouted, walking towards the vortex. “I think I see them.”

 

He saw them but he was also seen. Rumpelstiltskin had stretched out his hand, dagger and talisman in it. His other hand was busy holding on to Baelfire who had Henry’s in his arms. Jefferson grabbed his old friend by the arm and pulled.

 

And the vortex disappeared.

 

“Henry!” Emma and Regina shouted in unison.

 

They ran to him and Emma held her son in her arms, even though Baelfire, still in shock, wouldn’t let go. Regina first tried to take Henry from them, but then she stopped herself and waited her turn. When Emma turned to her, inviting her in, she kneeled by Henry’s side and hugged him tight.

 

“I’m so sorry, Henry”, she said in tears.

 

And he knew it was the truth. He hugged her back with a grateful smile.

 

Baelfire eventually let go of Henry to take a look at his father. Rumpelstiltskin was in horrible shape. His eyes were entirely blackened, his black veins showed through the grey and gold-flecked skin. He looked like he was decomposing.

 

“Papa?”

“Whoa, Jefferson said. You look like death.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin looked down at the talisman and dagger in his right hand.

 

“I have felt better, thank you”, he answered with a little wit.

 

Jefferson and Baelfire helped him sit. The talisman fell when he did. Charming even gave a hand while Snow was with Aurora, Mulan and Philip.

 

“What happened?” Charming asked. “I thought you said you would use the Wraith’s power to come here.”

“He did, Henry answered. He killed the Wraith and then the portal opened.”

 

Charming went to pick the medallion on the ground.

 

“Don’t touch it, Rumpelstiltskin shouted. Unless you want me to steal your soul.”

“What?”

“To use the Wraith’s power, I had to take it. Which means I… I’m the Wraith now.”

 

They all stared in horror at him. It was Mulan who spoke first.

 

“What you are is a liar. You promised Aurora you’d bring Philip back. You gave your word you would help us before helping yourself.”

“I _never_ said that. I promised to bring him back. I made this promise to her. You are the one who demanded he was helped first. I never made that promise.”

“But…”

“I… told you… I honour my agreements _to the letter_.” He held himself on his son. “Be careful to read the contract before you sign it.”

“Papa, for the love of—”

“Rumpelstiltskin, please”, Aurora pleaded.

“I’m almost there, dearie. Will you help me up, please?” He was shivering and looked like he was about to faint. Baelfire, Jefferson and Charming helped him up. “Thank you.”

 

They walked to Philip, still lying down on the ground, in Aurora’s arms and the Dark One knelt by his side.

 

“I suggest you all back off.”

 

Charming went to Snow’s side and picked up the Wraith’s medallion by the beads, wrapped it up in his scarf. Emma, Regina, Henry and Jefferson stood at a respectful distance. Aurora refused to move.

 

“It could get messy, dearie.”

“I’m not letting go of him.”

 

Mulan knelt by her side, in case something happened. Baelfire stayed by his father too.

 

“All right then… Wraiths are not made for that sort of thing. Their function is to take a soul not return it.”

“And you’re telling us that now?” Mulan screamed.

“Be quiet!... Like I said, Wraiths can’t do this… which is why I had to wait until after I had consumed it. I have its power, but I also have mine.”

 

Regina contemplated for a moment the horror of having a Dark One who is twice as powerful as before… a Dark One who can take your soul. Rumpelstiltskin grabbed his dagger firmly and before anyone else could react, he stabbed Philip right in the heart.

 

“PHILIP!” Aurora screamed.

“You monster!” Mulan added, pulling out her sword.

 

But he ignored them; through his most powerful talisman, he was busy sending a purple and black glow of magic, which was quickly followed by a white light that glowed all over the prince. His soul.

 

When Philip opened his eyes, suffocating, Rumpelstiltskin took out his knife from him and sealed the wound with a spell.

 

“Here… my debts are paid.”

 

And he fell unconscious in his son’s arms.

 

Aurora kissed Philip a few dozen times, filled with joy, and then looked at her benefactor.

 

“Is he…?”

“He’s just knocked out, Baelfire answered. We’ll get him to rest.”

“Come on, Charming helped them. Let’s get somewhere we can talk, and where he can rest.”

“Your apartment’s going to get crowded”, Jefferson joked.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Come on, try it!”

“ugh… must I?”

“I wouldn’t, Aurora. This smells strange.”

“Once you’ve had that, you’ll never sleep again.”

 

Some laughs followed, that finished waking Rumpelstiltskin up.

 

“Wha…?”

 

He was at Mary Margaret’s apartment… lying on her bed. Baelfire was by his side, with a cup of coffee.

 

“How are you feeling?”

“Better… I’m confused. How did I get here?”

“We carried you. Me and Jefferson and David. We drove you here in David’s car and dragged you all the way up here.”

 

He still looked a little like the Dark One… but there was not much of the Wraith left. The imp sat up and looked through all his pockets with a slight panic. Baelfire handed him his dagger.

 

“Is that what you’re looking for?”

“Amongst other things”, Rumpelstiltskin answered taking the knife and putting it in his jacket pocket.

“David’s got the ‘other thing’… Now you’ve got two things controlling you. Was that worth having more power?”

“No, no, no… this is not about power. I just used it to get us home.” He realised everyone had stopped talking and were staring at him. “I used most of the Wraith’s power to get us here and what was left was pretty much all used on Philip. Once I’m fully rested, the rest will dissolve on its own. The talisman will just be a worthless relic.”

“Well, good to know you won’t be floating around, taking souls” Charming said, offering him a cup of coffee.

“Unless you go and mark someone before I’ve healed, dearie… thank you.”

 

He took a sip and Aurora stared at her own cup, still unsure.

 

“Go ahead and try it, Baelfire suggested. It’s one of this world’s best inventions.”

 

She tried but frowned and made a funny face. Everyone had a little laugh and Prince Philip took a step towards the groggy imp.

 

“Aurora told me how you risked your life to save mine.”

“She’s exaggerating. I just risked it to get us home.”

 

He smiled back, his wit was slowly returning. Truth be told, he could not have foreseen the outcome of that spell. It could have killed him on the way.

 

“Still. I owe you, Philip said shaking his hand. I can never repay this kindness.”

“Neither can I”, Aurora added with a kiss for her love.

“Don’t worry, Emma replied, he’ll find a way.”

 

Rumpelstiltskin nodded his head in approval. He still had to deal with his son’s forgiveness, with Belle’s amnesia. He would indeed need help eventually, though he knew not how for the moment. Henry walked up to his ‘other grandpa’, still carrying the cane in his hands, and slowly gave him a hug.

 

“Thank you for bringing us back home… grandpa.”

“Wha… uh… I…”

 

Emma and Snow had a smile of tenderness. Regina tried to look pleased as well. As for Charming, he picked up the cup from his trembling hand before Rumpelstiltskin dropped it.

 

“Y-you’re welcome, Henry…”

“Oh, no, Henry… I think you’ve broken my dad, Baelfire teased. I hope we can repair him.”

“Very funny…”

 

After what seemed like an eternity, he answered the boy’s hug…


End file.
